In the packaging and display of products, different methods and container apparatus have been used to package and display products in a retail setting. Manufacturers package such goods in a way that will protect the goods during transit to retail stores. For example, it is common for facial tissue to be packaged as forty-eight individual boxes of tissue placed into one shipping carton.
Many products are displayed and marketed in retail stores using free-standing displays in the aisle, instead of being placed upon traditional store shelves. In wholesale shopping clubs, large discount stores and the like, it is common to see large displays of products provided in a floor display. These displays provide numerous cartons or cases of products for purchase by consumers, and often include several shipping cartons stacked in a group. Sometimes, such displays are provided on wooden pallets, where they are dropped by forklifts.
A problem for retailers is that the cartons in which goods are packaged by manufacturers for shipment typically are not also suitable for display of products in a retail setting. In most cases, these shipping-type cartons simply are not capable of displaying individual products for ready and convenient access by consumers. Further, the cartons are usually not attractive from a marketing perspective. Many of these cartons comprise simple six-sided cardboard containers which can be unloaded only by opening the carton, reaching in, and manually removing the products packed inside. It is common for retailers to assemble separate free-standing displays in their retail stores. These free-standing displays may be comprised of corrugated cardboard. Further, such displays generally are provided with attractive advertising. Store personnel sometimes remove products from shipping cartons and place the products into such free-standing displays for retail sale, which is a time consuming task.
With regard to large wholesale stores, products are sometimes specially prepared for shipment to such stores. That is, many manufacturers employ people to specially prepare pallets of xe2x80x9cready to displayxe2x80x9d products, in contrast to simply shipping the products in the original shipping cartons. Persons hired by the manufacturer unpack cartons which originate from the assembly line, remove the contents, and prepare special displays which are placed on a pallet for stretchwrapping and shipment to retailers. These specially packaged pallets are very desirable for retailers, because they may be placed directly on the floor with a minimal of labor and time required. Once the stretchwrapping material is removed, they are ready for display to consumers without significant further steps or excess manual labor at the retail store.
At least one disadvantage in specially preparing pallets as described is that a large amount of expensive labor is required to unpack products from an original shipping carton and re-pack such products onto a special pallet. Further, it is wasteful for the manufacturer to generate from the assembly line products in a packaged shipping carton, only to have the shipping carton emptied and discarded. It can be very time consuming and expensive to provide products in a ready to display format to retailers. However, retailers prefer such a ready-to-display format.
It would be desirable to devise a container and method of packaging products that will reduce the labor required to prepare products for display by retail stores. Further, a method, system, and apparatus that avoids undesirable waste of shipping containers, and provides a convenient and easy to use display method, would be advantageous.
The present invention recognizes and addresses the foregoing drawbacks and deficiencies of prior art constructions and methods. Accordingly, a perforated carton is provided comprising a plurality of side panels, a top panel, a bottom panel, and perforations along the surface of one or more of said panels. The perforations generally are adapted for separation of the carton into portions. A perforated carton may be provided in which the carton is divided by perforations into a display portion and a discardable portion. The carton also may include a display portion which is configured to reveal the contents of the carton upon separation of the carton at the perforations.
The carton may include a plurality of corners located at panel intersections, wherein the display portion of the carton comprises a majority of such corners as compared to the discardable portion of the carton. In some embodiments, the carton comprises about eight corners.
A perforated carton is also disclosed which comprises four side panels, a top panel, and a bottom panel, wherein the panels coordinate to form a total of eight corners on the carton. The carton further includes perforations along the surface of one or more of said panels, wherein the carton may be separated along the perforations into a display portion and a discardable portion, the display portion of the carton including at least six of said eight corners.
Further, the perforations may be provided along the top panel of the carton such that when the carton is separated into a discardable portion and a display portion, the display portion of the carton comprises at least two corners in the plane of the top panel. The carton is also provided which includes, in the display portion of the carton, at least some amount of the top panel which existed prior to separating the carton at the perforations.
In some embodiments, a carton is provided that includes a display portion of the carton for supporting the weight of a second shipping carton upon its top panel when placed in a stacked configuration. The carton also may include a display portion which is provided with four corners in the plane of its top panel. The carton also may include side panels on the display portion of the carton that are adapted to reveal the contents of the carton upon separation of the carton at the perforations. The carton also may include at least four corner posts which serve to support weight of additional cartons on an upper surface of a carton.
One aspect of the invention also includes a pallet comprising a plurality of perforated cartons having four side panels, a top panel, and a bottom panel. In most cases, the side panels, top panel, and bottom panel coordinate to form a total of about eight corners on the carton. Further, perforations along the surface of one or more of the panels are provided. The carton may be separated along the perforations into a display portion and a discardable portion. Further, the display portion of the carton will, in some embodiments, include at least six of said eight corners. The perforations are provided along the top panel of the carton such that when the carton is separated into a discardable portion and a display portion, the display portion of the carton comprises at least two corners in the plane of the top panel. In some embodiments, a flat support is provided that is capable of supporting the weight of the cartons. The cartons are stacked for display on the flat support. In one embodiment, a pallet contains at least some perforated cartons which are separated along perforations into a discardable portion and a display portion.